Frequently Asked Questions
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| Q: | Who is Tenaska? |
| A: | Tenaska is an energy company with headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska. Tenaska and its affiliates specialize in developing, financing, constructing, owning and operating reliable, cost efficient, environmentally responsible power plants. Established in 1987, Tenaska has developed approximately 9,000 megawatts (MW) of electric generating capacity across the United States. Tenaska’s affiliates currently operate and manage eight power plants in six states totaling more than 6,800 MW of generating capacity owned in partnership with other companies.
The company also markets natural gas, biofuels and electric power, provides risk management services for energy companies, and is involved in asset acquisitions, fuel supply, natural gas exploration, production and transportation systems, and electric transmission development. |
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| Q: | What is the regional benefit of having a new power plant in the area? |
| A: | The plant would provide significant benefit to the Lebanon County tax base. Its owners will pay property taxes or make in-lieu-of-taxes payments in the county during the plant’s years of operation. At the same time, the plant will create little demand for local services, such as schools, police or roads—a win-win for residents of the township and county. The presence of a modern, low-emission power plant helps shift the source of power away from older plants with greater emissions. And it will provide well-paying jobs, both short-term (more than 300 during construction) and long-term (25 to 30 during decades of operation). Electricity produced by the plant will help prevent brown-outs and keep electricity prices stable. |
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| Q: | What is the operational lifetime of the plant? |
| A: | These plants are generally considered to have a lifetime of 30 years; however, good maintenance and care will be employed, so it could contribute to the region’s energy needs for decades more. |
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| Q: | Is there a need for power in the North Lebanon area? |
| A: | The power will be sold into the PJM Interconnection market, an electric transmission grid covering several states (including Pennsylvania) and serving millions of people. While the electricity will be used regionally, it is part of an electrical system that is increasing in electric capacity to cope with a long-term growth in regional power demand of about 1.5 to 2 percent per year. The new Lebanon County plant will do a great deal to support the public’s need for affordable, reliable electricity. |
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| Q: | What type of facility is Tenaska proposing for Lebanon County? |
| A: | Tenaska is planning a facility that converts clean-burning natural gas into electricity. At this point, the facility could be as large as 950 megawatts of generating capacity, enough to meet the electricity needs of nearly 1 million homes in the region. |
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| Q: | Why doesn’t Tenaska know the exact capacity of the plant? |
| A: | Tenaska has informed the PJM Interconnection market, the electric transmission grid covering several states (including Pennsylvania), of the maximum capacity of the plant; however, typically the plants Tenaska builds are not as large as the maximum capacity requested. Final equipment selection, costs, regulatory requirements, competitive business factors and market needs will determine the exact capacity of the project. |
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| Q: | Why did Tenaska decide to develop a natural gas plant? |
| A: | To maintain reliability, electricity must be generated on a steady basis from nuclear, hydro or fossil fuels. Other sources, such as wind power, produce electricity intermittently. For the foreseeable future, fossil fuel generation—especially with the cleanest commercially available fuel, natural gas—will be necessary. |
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| Q: | Why did Tenaska select the site in North Lebanon Township for its facility? |
| A: | The key factors in selecting a site for this kind of natural gas-fueled plant are access to natural gas pipelines, transmission corridors and a reliable supply of water. Because these assets are present in North Lebanon Township, Lebanon County stands to receive significant benefits. Whether through increased property tax revenue or in-lieu-of-tax revenue, more funds should be available to support schools and emergency and safety services and deliver a host of other advantages. |
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| Q: | How much land is owned for the facility? |
| A: | More than 350 acres have been purchased near the intersection of Hwy 343 and Kercher Avenue in North Lebanon Township. Because the plant itself will only occupy 50 acres on the site (including the employee parking lot), Tenaska intends to have plenty of buffer to mitigate possible sound and sight-line concerns of the plant’s neighbors. |
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| Q: | Will the plant change the current use of the buffer land—mostly agricultural? |
| A: | Tenaska intends to maintain the buffers in wooded or agricultural use. The company recognizes the historic land use in this area, and it wants to work with officials and citizens to respect such uses. |
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| Q: | What will the plant’s neighbors see and hear? |
| A: | Tenaska believes the affect on neighbors will be minimal. The site, of three parcels with 350 acres, includes natural tree and topography buffers between the facility and most neighbors. The forest and other natural buffers will decrease awareness of the site by neighbors. At other Tenaska plants, any audible hum at the plant’s fence line has been equal or less than the decibel level matching a conversation between two people. However, for the first time at a Tenaska plant, the turbine-generator sets at the proposed Tenaska Lebanon facility will be enclosed. This is expected to further minimize sound associated with power production. Tenaska designs include architectural landscaping and other thoughtful enhancements that make the facility “neighbor friendly”. This includes operational factors like shielded minimal lighting that is directed downward at night. Tenaska personnel will communicate plans to local interests and plant neighbors. |
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| Q: | What does Tenaska’s project need from local officials in order to move to construction? |
| A: | Tenaska welcomes demonstrations of support because the company hopes to be welcome in a community where it does business. Various county and township approvals may be needed, all of which will be properly noticed and heard, when required. Developing mutually beneficial projects is important to Tenaska, and it is a large part of the reason why Tenaska is ranked by Furtune Magazine as the 16th largest privately held U.S. company. Clear, timely communication and fair dealing benefit all concerned. |
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| Q: | Has Tenaska begun to seek permits and zoning? What’s the timetable? |
| A: | Construction of this project will bring millions of dollars of spending and more than 300 jobs to the community over a period of two or more years. After that, it will mean 25-30 well paying permanent jobs. Before that happens, Tenaska needs to receive approvals from local, state and national authorities. That process is under way. The path forward is estimated to take about five years to complete. |
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| Q: | How would Tenaska describe the reception it has received so far in Lebanon County? |
| A: | Tenaska feels it is welcome to develop this project here. Civic and business leaders, as well as individual citizens, have expressed appreciation for the benefits the plant will provide, including new tax or in-lieu-of-taxes income and new, stable jobs. |
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| Q: | Where will the construction workers come from? |
| A: | Plant construction will offer employment opportunities to qualified local laborers and skilled craft workers. When Tenaska builds a power plant, it typically hires an EPC—Engineering, Procurement, and Construction—contractor. The EPC contractor performs design, completes engineering, and manages construction of the plant. The EPC contractor also awards construction materials contracts and subcontracts for certain portions of the work. Tenaska has developed 12 large power plants in the United States, and its construction contractors typically have made a concerted effort to hire workers from the local area. Some specialized work may require skills that may not be available regionally; however, Tenaska will request that the EPC contractor advertise for workers well in advance of the construction start and that local businesses will be invited to apply for subcontract work, whenever possible. A study of records at Tenaska’s Grimes County, Texas, plant shows half of the workers came from within 50 miles of the site. At Tenaska’s plant in Rusk County, Texas, about 80 percent of the workers came from within 50 miles. When construction is scheduled, Tenaska will encourage the EPC contractor to place ads, open an employment office, conduct job fairs and let the area know when applications are being accepted for workers and subcontractors. |
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| Q: | How many workers will be on site? |
| A: | Over the entire construction period, an average of approximately 300 trades and other workers will be at the site. During peak construction, the number could be higher. The average construction worker is typically on site for about five months. |
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| Q: | When can I begin applying for a job at the Tenaska Lebanon facility? |
| A: | It’s too early to talk about applying for jobs at the Tenaska Lebanon Generating Station. Here’s why: on Tenaska’s development timeline, the earliest time construction could begin on the Lebanon facility is in 2011, with the earliest commercial operation projected for 2013. The earliest that Tenaska could accept applications for permanent employment at the Lebanon facility is in 2012 to allow time for training before projected commercial operation in 2013. Regarding the construction phase, when Tenaska builds a power plant, it typically hires an EPC—Engineering, Procurement, and Construction—contractor. The EPC contractor performs design, completes engineering, and manages construction of the plant. The EPC contractor also awards construction materials contracts. Tenaska has developed 12 large power plants in the United States, and its construction contractors typically have made a concerted effort to hire workers from the local area. |
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| Q: | What will be the source and quantity of water used at the plant? |
| A: | Water is used at the plant primarily to cool equipment but also to make steam which, in turn, powers the steam turbine-generator portion of the plant’s generating capacity. As it does this, the process is very efficient. Typically, water is circulated multiple times through the plant’s systems. The plant is expected to use an annual average of about 5 million gallons of water per day when in operation. All of this will be developed and permitted by state and federal authorities. Tenaska is in very early stages of evaluating water sources, including surface water, groundwater and municipal treated water discharged from the city's wastewater treatment plant. Our objective is to locate a source of water that will serve our needs for 30 to 50 years, one that does not affect the community in a way that diminishes its quality of life or capacity to grow. |
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| Q: | What impact will the plant have on air quality? |
| A: | Emissions from this plant will not significantly affect air quality in Lebanon County or elsewhere. The combination of natural gas as fuel and best available emissions control technology will ensure that any emissions from this facility will meet or be less than applicable health-based state and national compliance standards. Tenaska will submit a complete analysis of air quality impacts, which will be available for public review, as part of the air quality permitting process. Tenaska has demonstrated a commitment to environmental stewardship in the siting, design, construction and operation of its projects. In 2008 benchmarking studies, Tenaska was listed by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), [read more] a national environmental advocacy organization, as having the best record among companies in the U.S. that generate power from fossil fuels for controlling emissions of carbon dioxide and as one of the top performing companies for controlling emissions of nitrogen oxide (NOX) and sulfur dioxide (SO2). |
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| Q: | What impact will the plant have on the need for transmission lines? |
| A: | There will be a need to connect the Lebanon County plant with the regional PJM Interconnection transmission grid, for which a relatively short line may have to be constructed. While plans are still under development, existing corridors and easements are being examined to help determine the best transmission options. Whatever transmission choice is made, Tenaska will work with local officials and landowners on the solution. |
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| Q: | What would happen to the plant if the natural gas pipeline were shut down for any reason? |
| A: | An interconnect to a natural gas pipeline is usually connected to two separate supplies in case one is being serviced. By the way, the supply of reliable, clean natural gas obtained from Pennsylvania itself is growing. Natural gas will be the primary fuel at the plant. If there is a disruption of supply, the plant may have a few days’ supply of fuel oil on hand, but a final decision has not been made whether to include that feature at this plant. If Tenaska does choose to include the ability to operate on fuel oil, the plant would use light fuel oil that contains an extremely low concentration of sulfur. Of course the plant will be required to meet all environmental standards while operating on either fuel. |
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| Q: | Will any hazardous materials be used, stored or produced at the generating station? |
| A: | Any materials used at the generating station will be used in accordance with applicable U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations. There may be sulfuric acid and caustics stored on-site in tanks using special systems to minimize the chance of accidental spills or releases. There could be smaller quantities of other water treatment chemicals, but none is expected to contain priority pollutants as listed by the U.S. EPA. Actual amounts expected to be present on site will not be known for some time. Ammonia, used in the nitrogen oxides emission control system, will be stored in a tank using special systems to minimize the chance of accidental spills or releases. The plant will routinely produce small quantities of hazardous and non-hazardous waste, and the facility will not be permitted to dispose of these wastes on-site. All wastes will be managed on-site in accordance with state and federal regulations and will be shipped off-site for recycling or disposal. |
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| Q: | Is Tenaska a good corporate citizen in locations where it has facilities? |
| A: | Yes. Tenaska employees at eight plant sites donate more than 9,000 hours in community service and charity annually. Tenaska plants regularly work with local fire departments, Scout troops and civic groups to assist those in need. Tenaska typically sponsors a college scholarship program to benefit local high school students. To date, more than 465 students have received $308,500 in college scholarships. In 2008, Tenaska Virginia Generating Station won the Virginia Governor’s Volunteerism and Community Service Award and Tenaska Georgia Generating Station was named Heard County Business of the Year. |
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| Q: | Who do I contact if I have questions? |
| A: | Tenaska has a representative on the ground who is ready to meet with anyone who has an interest in this modern source of electricity. Project Manager Dan Culver can be reached by e-mail at dculver@tenaska.com or you can e-mail Tenaska directly from the contact page of this Web site. |
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| Q: | Where can I find more information on Tenaska? |
| A: | More information on Tenaska, Inc. is available on our Web site at www.tenaska.com. |
Fact Sheet